How long will it take to vaccinate everyone in Olmsted County?

“I hope to see the vaccine allowance increase in the near future,” Graham Briggs, Olmsted County director of public health, told county commissioners on Tuesday.

About 12% of the county’s residents have been vaccinated in recent weeks, which has focused on essential health care staff and long-term care facilities.

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The county has 18,330 people who have received at least one dose of the vaccine, of which 2,770 received both doses, according to the Minnesota Department of Health website.

“It’s starting to be a really big number,” Briggs said, adding that an increase to 20,000 doses per week could mean a full vaccination in the county within two months.

Hopeful eye for a potential increase in distribution comes as new COVID cases in Olmsted County continue to decline after a peak in November and a surge after the holidays.

The county surpassed 10,000 confirmed cases last week, reaching 10,484 cases reported on Tuesday. This means that about 6.6% of the population has had a confirmed case of the virus, which is still below the state rate of 7.9%.

As of Tuesday, 393 active cases were reported in the county, with the COVID-related death toll reaching 75.

Twenty-six county residents remained in hospital with COVID on Tuesday, including eight requiring intensive care beds.

Briggs said the numbers underscore the importance of continuing to monitor vaccination efforts.

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He said the priority group is expected to be regrouped in the county this week, as the state focuses on the second tier, which includes health workers with direct contact with patients in medical facilities and people living with assistance. .

After that, Briggs said county staff will likely be more involved in communicating with the third level, including dentists, school nurses and home health workers.

He said vaccines could start reaching the third cluster within two weeks, taking another two weeks to deliver a first dose to the estimated 3,500 residents.

Briggs said the state’s efforts to use Rochester for one of nine pilot programs to test mass vaccination options are likely to boost the number of residents vaccinated, but distribution remains limited to available doses.

County commissioners have said that means much of the cast remains outside the county’s control.

“I ask people to be patient,” said Commissioner Gregg Wright.